Memorabilia hobby turns into business for mixed martial arts-loving East Stroudsburg clan

Monday

Dec 30, 2013 at 12:01 AM

With help from his wife and children, East Stroudsburg resident A.J. Hiller has accumulated more than 20,000 pieces of memorabilia and autographs.

STACY M. BROWN

With help from his wife and children, East Stroudsburg resident A.J. Hiller has accumulated more than 20,000 pieces of memorabilia and autographs.

But, Hiller, a longtime manager at Walmart, said that while his stash is comprehensive, he shuns the title of collector.

"A collector won't sell anything," said Hiller, 38. "There is just about nothing that I own that I would not sell."

For Hiller, the hobby started about 30 years ago.

He'd attend sporting and other events and wouldn't leave without a star's signature on a piece of paper, a card, baseball, football, basketball, hockey stick or T-shirt.

Depending upon the athlete, the autograph's value could be enormous, he said.

However, after obtaining a valuable autograph of a young Alex Rodriguez, Hiller's perception about autograph collection changed and eventually led him to focus solely on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), a sport he loves.

"I started going to events and waiting for stars to sign autographs," Hiller recalled of his earlier collecting days.

"When Alex Rodriguez was with the Seattle Mariners, I had a signed photo of him that I purchased for $200. Then, he was traded to the Texas Rangers and the value of the autographed photo of him in a Mariners uniform dropped to $25, so I went and bought a Texas Rangers Alex Rodriguez autograph, and then he gets traded to the New York Yankees."

With that Hiller decided to shy away from team sports and focused on MMA, where fighters are individuals who cannot change teams.

"The MMA became my passion," he said. "I sold everything off and invested everything into MMA," he said.

Hiller and his wife, Michelle, and their two children, Ajay and Angelina, have made a habit of attending any MMA event they can, racking up more than 1,000 autographs per session.

All totaled, the Hillers have more than 20,000 autographs and memorabilia, a collection that has resulted in the family recently being featured in a story by MMA journalist Eric Kowal.

"The kids themselves have an impressive collection, which they like to bring friends over to the house and brag about because they are really proud of it," Hiller said.

Michelle Hiller said her children often bring their friends to MMA events, and their knowledge of the sport has grown despite their young ages: Ajay is 10 and Angelina is 8.

The love of autograph and memorabilia collecting has led to the Hiller family opening their own business, MMA Signatures, out of their home in East Stroudsburg. They have also jumped into sports management, with clients that include MMA lightweight contender Mike "The Irish Cannon" Bannon, who is 5-1 in competition, and MMA coach Dean Williams.

"We organize appearances, seminars and fights," Hiller said. "In order to become successful, you have to know the correct pathways, and a lot of these fighters didn't know that. That's where we stepped in."

Despite their foray into management, the family continues to maintain an extensive collection of autographs, apparel, photos and even coveted MMA championship belts.

Also, one of the best known and respected autograph authentication companies has verified the family's collection, something that has served to further bolster business, Hiller said.

"Without something to prove that the autographs are real, they are worthless. No one will buy them," said Hiller, who also is a licensed distributor of MMA apparel.

Throughout the family's venture, Michelle Hiller, an occupational therapist, has served perhaps the most important role, her husband said. "She's been the babysitter, making sure that the books are kept in order and everything is fine financially," Hiller said.

While A.J. and Michelle Hiller both work full-time, the couple eventually plan to wholly commit to the family business.

"I have a five-year plan," he said. "I have always wanted to work for myself, but I haven't had the guts to do so. But, in five years, that's what we're going to do."

In the meantime, the Hillers are happy to manage and promote MMA as well as sell to their vast clientele the extraordinary collection they've compiled.

When pressed about his vow that anything is available for sale, Hiller noted that there is one item he does plan to hold onto.

"Yeah, it's my most prized possession. I met MMA fighter Dan Henderson in an elevator and he signed the back of my shirt," he said. "It's not worth anything, but it's one that I wouldn't part with."